Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Note: UFC self regulated its suspensions for UFC 243.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently tied a ribbon around its UFC 243 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which took place last Sat. night (Oct. 5, 2016) on ESPN+ from inside Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
That’s where Israel Adesnaya crowned himself king of the middleweights, thanks to his second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker (video). In the UFC 243 co-main event, Dan Hooker announced his arrival at 155 pounds by putting a whooping on Al Iaquinta (recap).
As with any mixed martial arts (MMA) fight card, where the primary goal is to beat the shit out of your opponent, most of the combatants flew home with their fair share of injuries, including Robert Whittaker and Justin Tafa, who each drew 60-day timeouts for their knockout losses.
That’s not all.
Complete UFC 243 medical suspensions, courtesy of MixedMartialArts.com.
Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker by KO (Strikes, R2, 3:33)
7 Days to Adesanya for Mandatory Rest
60 Days to Whittaker for KO – 45 Days No Contact
Dan Hooker defeated Al Iaquinta by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
30 Days to Hooker for Left Knee lacerations and 21 Days No Contact
180 Days to Iaquinta or clear by Negative X-Ray for Left Tib/Fib and Foot X-Rays
Sergey Spivac defeated Tai Tuivasa by Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke R2, 3:14)
7 Days to Spivac for Mandatory Rest
45 Days to Tuivasa for Soreness Right Ribs and 30 Days No Contact
Dhiego Lima defeated Luke Jumeau by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
7 Days to Lima for Mandatory Rest
30 Days to Jumeau since Scans and X-Rays were negative – 21 Days No Contact
Yorgan de Castro defeated Justin Tafa by KO (Punch, R1, 1:20)
7 Days to De Castro for Mandatory Rest
60 Days to Tafa for KO – 45 Days No Contact
Jake Matthews defeated Rostem Akman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
7 Days to Matthews for Mandatory Rest
7 Days to Akman for Mandatory Rest
Callan Potter defeated Maki Pitolo by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
30 Days to Potter and 21 Days No Contact
30 Days to Pitolo and 21 Days No Contact
Brad Riddell defeated Jamie Mullarkey by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
45 Days to Riddell for Left Eyebrow Laceration and and 30 Days No Contact
30 Days to Mullarkey since Scans were Negative, 21 Days No Contact
Megan Anderson defeated Zarah Fairn dos Santos by Submission (Triangle, R1, 3:57)
7 Days to Anderson for Mandatory Rest
30 Days to Fairn for Left Eyelid laceration and 21 Days No Contact
Ji Yeon Kim defeated Nadia Kassem by TKO (Punches, R2, 4:59)
7 Days to Kim for Mandatory Rest
45 Days to Kassem since CT and X-Rays were Negative – 30 Days No Contact
Khalid Taha defeated Bruno Silva by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke, R3, 3:00)
30 Days to Taha and 21 Days No Contact
45 Days to Da Silva for Left Eye Laceration and 30 Days No Contact
Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. In addition, not all injuries are recorded during the post-fight examination and often times surface in follow-up tests.
For complete UFC 243 results, including play-by-play, click here.